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NEW PRODUCT INNOVATION

A Thought Leadership Paper by:

Teresa Jurgens-Kowal

PhD, MBA, PMP®, NPDP, PE

Global NP Solutions

2323 Clear Lake City Blvd., #180

Suite 177

Houston, TX 77062

PHONE: 281-280-8717

ALTERNATE: 281-787-3979/6245

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Sustaining Innovation Systems…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..3

An Effective New Product Development Framework……………………………………………………………………3

Innovation Strategy………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..4

Portfolio Management…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..5

Portfolio Management Adds Value ................................................................................................................................. 5

Portfolio Management Builds a Balanced Portfolio ................................................................................................ 6

Portfolio Management Aligns NPD Projects with Strategy ................................................................................. 6

Phased NPD Process……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………...7

Life Cycle Management…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………8

Summary: Sustaining Innovation Processes………………………………………………………………………………10

Supporting Innovation Processes…………………………………………………………………………………………………………….11

Teams and Organization……………………………………………………………………………………………………………..11

Support Teams ....................................................................................................................................................................... 11

Lightweight Teams................................................................................................................................................................ 12

Heavyweight Teams ............................................................................................................................................................. 12

Venture Team .......................................................................................................................................................................... 13

Market Research…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..14

NPD Tools and Metrics………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..15

Summary: Supporting Innovation Structures…………………………………………………………………………….16

Building Success from the NPD Framework…………………………………………………………………………………………….17

Works Cited………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….18

Image Credits .................................................................................................................................................................... 18

About the Author……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………...19

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Most executives today are deeply committed to innovation. Leaders understand that growth must

be realized through new product development (NPD) and that strategic expansion is preferred

over cost reductions and/or

risky business acquisitions.

Yet, even with a deep-held

conviction that innovation

provides the path to growth,

many corporate leaders are

paralyzed to action in the

face of such competitive

challenges. NPD follows a

logical, simple framework

that can be easily implemented regardless of the industry, company size, or current state of

business. There are seven areas in innovation to master for innovation success:

1. Innovation Strategy,

2. Portfolio Management,

3. NPD Processes,

4. Life Cycle Management,

5. Teams and Organization,

6. Market Research, and

7. NPD Tools and Metrics.

Innovation strategy is an overarching principle that guides all new product development activities.

Portfolio management, structured NPD processes, and life cycle management are facilitating

processes that lead to sustainable long-term innovation success. Supporting processes and

structures are offered through teams and organization, market research, and NPD tools and

metrics.

Portfolio MgmtNew

Product Process

LifecycleManagement

Innovation Strategy

Market Research

Tools and Metrics

Teams

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Strategy is the overarching theme for all innovation efforts. At the highest level, strategy defines

the corporate mission, vision, and values. Business units or geographical subsidiaries may enhance

the corporate strategy to focus on specific growth needs. Innovation strategy further defines the

specific markets, technologies, and products (categories or brands) necessary to ensure long-term

returns.

A lack of an innovation strategy will result in a company

losing to competition. Over 80% of companies with a

strategic focus perform the best within their industry when

strategy is the guiding force in new product development,

releasing about two times as many successful new

commercial products for each new idea as compared to the

rest (1; 2). NPD teams are also more focused on core

innovation areas when the strategy is well-defined and widely

communicated.

How do you know if you have a well-defined innovation strategy? First, ideas are submitted

with attention to market focus, technology strengths, and product categories. Each innovation

project is probed at project gate reviews for fit with strategy as well as potential for new financial

revenues. Portfolio management (see below) reviews are utilized to select the projects with the

most value to the firm, where value is defined, in part, as strategic fit.

Here are five questions any company should fully answer to determine innovation strategy.

1. What is your business?

2. Who are your customers?

3. What products and/or services will you provide to the customers?

4. Why do customers prefer your solution over the competition?

5. What are your strategic capabilities? (Review this related paper.)

Again, a clearly articulated innovation strategy differentiates companies that are most successful

in NPD versus those that apply an ad-hoc approach.

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While identifying the markets, technologies, and products is strategically important for a firm,

strategies are only successful if they are put into action. Portfolio management is a key tool in

the new product practitioner’s toolbox to ensure that the innovation strategy works as planned.

Portfolio management is the decision-making process utilized by senior management to link the

overall innovation strategy to a set of active NPD projects

that will deliver the most value with limited resources.

Portfolio management decisions are future-oriented since

some NPD projects are in the idea generation stage while

others are ready for launch. Sales revenues, volumes, and

profit margins are all uncertain until customers have

purchased the new product. In addition, new and creative

ideas to solve customer problems are generated on a daily

basis, so that new projects are entering, exiting, and

competing against existing active projects.

Product portfolio management is the primary tool linking active projects to the strategy and

delivers three main objectives.

1. Portfolio management identifies NPD projects with the most value.

2. Portfolio management creates the right mix and balance of projects.

3. Portfolio management informs project implementation to ensure strategic alignment.

Active projects are selected based upon a number of criteria. Financial metrics, such as net present

value (NPV) or return on investment (ROI), are often used as “hurdles” in project selection. For

instance, only NPD projects with greater than 15% ROI are considered for inclusion in the

innovation portfolio. In other cases, projects are rank-ordered and prioritized based upon NPV:

those projects with the highest predicted financial value are selected for further work, while those

that do not meet a cut-off threshold are rejected.

Unfortunately, financial only metrics don’t tell the whole story. For this reason, many firms

supplement financial metrics with project scorecards that qualitatively evaluate the attractiveness

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of NPD projects. Scorecard variables should be tied to strategic success criteria, such as market

attractiveness, technical competency, and competitive strength. Scorecard metrics are especially

effective for early stage projects for which the valuation is difficult and/or far into the future.

The second goal of portfolio management is to ensure a strong fit with strategy by ensuring a

good mix and balance of innovation projects. This means both short-term and long-term projects,

high-risk and sure bets, as well as radical innovations and incremental improvements. Every firm

will deploy an individualized mix and balance of project types based upon their innovation strategy

as well as their level of risk tolerance. The mix and balance of active projects should reflect the

preferred strategic thrust for the business.

For example, a firm that is risk-seeking and actively pursues opportunities to develop radical new

products for fringe markets will establish a portfolio of new product development projects with

longer-term rewards based on new technologies. In contrast, a risk-averse company will choose

a new product portfolio that is skewed toward shorter-term projects supporting the base business.

Note that much of the discussion regarding the implementation of the firm’s innovation strategy

will occur at the portfolio review meetings. Senior management cannot delegate this task since

the portfolio decisions are taken to ensure that the strategic goals are implemented as envisioned

by the executive leaders. Portfolio review meetings should be held at least once per quarter, and

more frequently if the company has a weak phased-gate process (see below) in evaluating the

strengths of individual projects on a standalone basis.

Without an effective portfolio management process, most companies perform poorly in

comparison to their competitors. Typically with weak portfolio planning, too many low quality and

low value projects sneak in as active NPD projects, resulting in an unfocused development effort,

increased time to market, and delayed product launches. Moreover, team members become

frustrated when their truly great ideas are lost in the shuffle of less attractive projects.

If you don’t already have a portfolio management process in place, start small by evaluating

whether active projects align with the innovation strategy. Later, streamline your process to sustain

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innovation with more sophisticated portfolio tools and techniques (see, for example, “Choosing a

Portfolio Management Tool”.)

A structured and defined new product development (NPD) process is a prerequisite for innovation

success (3). Using distinct work phases, interspersed with decision “gates,” firms can minimize the

risk from a single project failing in the marketplace. Unlike portfolio management (see above),

where all NPD projects are prioritized as a suite, the structured NPD process monitors the

effectiveness of an individual project as it is transformed from an embryonic idea to a commercial

product.

A typical structured NPD process may have five stages and four decision gates followed by a post-

launch review, where the phases involve the following deliverables:

1. Opportunity identification,

2. Concept generation,

3. Concept evaluation,

4. Technology development, and

5. Product launch.

By evaluating past work and critically considering future plans for each new product at each

juncture in the process, risks and financial losses are minimized. For instance, bad ideas are

eliminated at gate one if the opportunity cannot be fully identified as a strategic match with

markets, technologies, and product categories. New product concepts that do not meet customer

satisfaction criteria are killed at gate three after a full concept evaluation. With such an NPD

process, a minimal investment is made in each NPD project with the investment increased if the

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new product continues to look attractive versus strategic and financial criteria during the various

design and development stages.

Most firms utilize a series of templates and checklists to ensure that gate decisions are consistent

and efficient. Whereas the portfolio management decisions are largely taken by a team of senior

leaders, NPD gate decisions are delegated to mid-level management. Templates and checklists

thus serve to incorporate overall strategic goals so that each project delivers a tight link to the

innovation strategy.

Some companies are reluctant to kill projects, however, once the project has entered the phased

NPD process. This is a mistake. First, no idea is ever perfect. Second, even the best ideas may

not demonstrate a fit within the present day markets or customer needs. Next, technical solutions

that appear easy may be impossible to implement in a cost-effective manner. Finally, review of

all projects by a cross-functional team offers insights that are not obtained otherwise.

NPD processes should be managed by the company’s project management office (PMO) and an

appointed facilitator. Humans have a tendency to add layers of complexity to gate review

documents to prevent the repeat of a single failure. However, “gate creep” and increased

paperwork can hinder the effectiveness of the process as well as demotivating innovation staff.

The facilitator should work to remove such roadblocks by continuously improving the process and

by participating actively in post-launch reviews.

New product development practitioners are not only responsible for the creation of new ideas and

bringing them to life, but also for managing product retirements and replacements. This is called

life cycle management and is an oft-missed component in innovation plans.

As new products are developed, it is important for the NPD team to consider various market

conditions for the new product. Will it replace existing products wholly or in part? Will the new

product expand the business by seizing market share from competitors or is it “cannibalizing” the

firm’s own target market? What is the expected sales cycle? When do we plan to upgrade,

replace, and/or retire this new product?

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Addressing life cycle questions and concerns during the product development process can help

to ensure smooth transitions within a brand as derivative products complement a prime platform

product. Consider, for example, potato chips as a

platform product. Companies have secret recipes to

ensure crispy snacks with just the right amount of salt.

Derivative products include chips with ridges, sour

cream and onion varieties, as well as a low-salt,

healthy version. Product development teams must

evaluate a viable business case for a new barbeque

flavored potato chip to understand the following

information.

Will it be successful in the market?

Will it replace sales of other varieties in the product family?

Will it expand our market share?

Such market questions are not isolated from the manufacturing and technical challenges of the

product development effort. A truly cross-functional NPD team will also consider the impact to

manufacturing, operations, and supply chain for the new product. If the barbeque chip requires

special ingredients and/or special handling during the manufacturing cycle, the firm must consider

the impacts on the production of other products. Clearing the barbeque spice from the factory

equipment could slow production, thus reducing throughput of both the sour cream and onion

chip and the low-salt version. With a reduced product volume, will the firm still be able to meet

market demands?

When the degree of cannibalization becomes large enough from a marketing or operations

standpoint, the NPD teams and management must address capital investment questions. Of

course, financial considerations on spending will be evaluated in light of the firm’s overall business

strategy and the active portfolio of attractive new product projects.

Life cycle management introduces a great number of trade-off decisions for the NPD teams as

well as senior leaders. While it’s not typically the foremost discussion as you are developing a

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new idea for commercialization, effective innovation systems will include steps to inform the life

cycle management process.

An effective innovation framework starts with the innovation strategy, overarching all other

activities and serving as a checkpoint that the firm is moving forward as expected and as planned.

Sustaining processes to support the innovation strategy include portfolio management, structured

NPD processes, and life cycle management. Facilitating and supporting structures involve teams

and organization, market research, and NPD tools and metrics (see below).

Portfolio management is the primary tool that new product development professionals (NPDP)

utilize to align the active set of projects with the pre-determined innovation strategy. The defining

aspect of portfolio management is that all projects are evaluated against one another. Product

portfolio management ensures that the suite of projects with the highest value is actively

implemented and that shorter term, lower risk projects are balanced against the more uncertain,

longer term new product projects. Finally, portfolio management is used to effectively monitor

that the strategy is aligned with the tactical implementation of innovation projects across the

corporation.

Structured NPD processes reduce or minimize the risk of failure of an individual project as the

phases and gates force frequent review of the NPD effort. At each gate review, the project is

compared against strategic innovation criteria and the future plan is evaluated for potential

success. With each stage of work, the investment increases along with the anticipated results of

the new product project.

Finally, life cycle management is another sustaining process leading to innovation success. Early

stage planning for the replacement and/or retirement of products should be incorporated in an

innovation framework to ensure that smooth transitions of products within a product family. In

addition, life cycle management addresses manufacturing and marketing concerns upfront, before

the product is discontinued. Customer acceptance of new products is enhanced when future plans

for the product line are shared in advance of changes in the marketplace.

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Supporting all of the foundational NPD processes – portfolio management, phase-and-gate

reviews, and life cycle management – are the people of the organization. In the innovation

framework, the teams and organization element addresses how to get the work done that will

result in strategic success.

A team is defined as a group of people with complementary skills working toward a common

purpose. For new product development, the core group is normally six to ten people.

Complementary skills are represented by cross-functional membership on the team. Each and

every function necessary to convert the embryonic idea into a salable product or service is found

on the NPD team.

Common functional representation includes research and development (R&D), marketing,

engineering, sales, and operations. Note that ancillary and support functions need to be informed

of the project, even if they do not lend core resources to the NPD effort. For instance, information

technology (IT), legal, and human resources (HR) may be called upon in support roles to ensure

the new product is commercialized according to plan.

Team structure and leadership will vary with the organization’s culture as well as the complexity

of the NPD effort. Four common organizational structures are (4; 5):

Support,

Lightweight teams,

Heavyweight teams, and

Venture.

Support teams are often utilized in NPD efforts requiring more depth of knowledge than breadth

of experience. These teams are excellent organizational structures for designing incremental

improvements or conducting fundamental technical research. Importantly, support team members

value being viewed as experts by others within the company. Many of these scientists are

motivated by the reward of a better product, especially to improve and enhance technologies.

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Lightweight teams are typical in today’s business organization, as well. Matrix and hybrid

reporting structures are common, and projects are conducted with part-time team members who

have additional day-to-day responsibilities. Team leaders have little authority over team members

yet hold full responsibility to get the product to the marketplace.

Team leaders with lightweight group structures

normally work in a hybrid environment. They often

are conducting key work on the new product

project, thus serving only a part-time role as a

project manager. Often, these projects have a

large technical component and the team leader is

in his/her first supervisory role with the new

product project.

Lightweight teams introduce an element of coordination and communication that is lacking in the

support teams. These lean teams are well suited for short-term projects that may launch a

derivative or enhancement to an existing product. Normally, one of ether market development or

technology development will be dominant in the new product project, while the other

characteristics of the product are mostly pre-determined by the firm’s competitive position.

Integrated, or heavyweight, project teams employ a more formal structure than lightweight

teams. Product innovation charters (PIC) are documented to offer strategic guidance to the NPD

team and to demonstrate how the project will be beneficial in meeting business objectives. Core

team members and the project leader are formally identified, normally serving in full-time roles.

Each functional team member may lead a sub-team since these projects typically are staffed by a

great number of individuals to complete the work. Depending on the size of the NPD effort, the

project leader’s authority ranges from very little (as in a lightweight team) to nearly total control

of project team members and resources.

Projects with a high degree of technical complexity and market growth are best handled by an

integrated team. Because of the more formal structure, a heavyweight team can design new

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platform products and manage innovations ranging from the short- and mid-term into the long

run.

Team member commitment to the NPD effort is usually high for an integrated team. Similarly,

management support is clear in facilitating increased communication and coordination among the

various functions.

Finally, a venture team is a co-located, standalone organizational structure designed to “think

outside the box.” These teams are led by a highly experienced project manager and are staffed

by the best and the brightest the firm has to offer.

Projects that are implemented by a venture team involve products that new-to-the-world or new-

to-the-company and require substantial market development along with significant technology

advances. Because the company has taken a large (but calculated) risk on the new product effort,

senior management may require more frequent status updates, yet the work of the team will

remain largely independent.

Venture teams are often co-located at a separate

campus than the rest of the organization. Team

members are passionate and motivated to bring

the new product to market, even if it means

working long hours, heavy travel, and

unpredictable schedules. For most team

members, the opportunity to work on a venture

team only comes along once or twice in their

career.

Senior management can help to ensure new product development projects are successful by

assigning appropriate teams according to project complexity. Additionally, the team leader’s

experience with managing people, budgets, and schedules should be taken into account. Project

managers can help to ensure that the new product development effort is successful by

understanding team member roles, increasing individual team member motivation, and improving

the breadth of cross-functional interactions.

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Like portfolio management, when done well market research can build and grow an innovation

pipeline for success. When it is missing, the competition will win. Market research also provides

a direct link to innovation strategy in that markets, products, and technologies depend upon

customer needs and wants.

Market research encompasses all interactions with customers from the idea generation stage to

concept testing to product launch. Customer

engagement involves analyzing existing data –

called secondary market research – that may

be available from customer visits,

benchmarking studies, and industry

publications. A caution for using secondary

market research is that data regarding

potential customers may have been collected

with a different intent than how the

information will be used for the particular NPD

project at hand. Data may be been assembled

in a time of weaker or stronger economic conditions, from a market segment targeted for different

use of the product, or through a sponsored research program.

Once a firm has verified the market conditions and competitive landscape through secondary

market research, specific customer interest studies are conducted through primary market

research. Much of determining customer wants and needs is specific to the particular NPD project,

the potential market segment, and the firm’s competitive positions. Focus groups will probe small

sets of consumers to learn whether the proposed project will meet their needs and to gather

product improvement ideas through collaboration. Customer site visits and pre-market testing

allow consumers to verify that the new product works as designed and will solve their problems.

Primary market research can be expensive since most firms do not have these capabilities in-

house. It’s crucial for a firm to clearly and concisely define the customer insights desired so that

a market research firm will be able to design a study to deliver data in a timely and cost-effective

fashion. Another potential drawback of primary market research is that much of the information

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is qualitative in nature and will involve small samples. Extending the results of select market

research studies to gross customer interpretations can involve risks.

Regardless of the tools and techniques deployed in a specific market research study, customer

insights must be determined prior to beginning new product development efforts. Likewise,

market research provides a strong feedback loop to inform the innovation strategy.

The final piece in the innovation puzzle is a set of tools and metrics that allow monitoring and

controlling of the innovation process. Some of the most common tools, such as portfolio

management and life cycle management, have already been identified above. Many of the other

tools utilized by new product development practitioners are the standard techniques utilized within

the project management profession. For instance, each new product development program may

include multiple, standalone projects, such as customer market research studies, R&D technology

development, and design of marketing and

advertising collateral. Each project sustains its own

budget, schedule, and scope as an element of the

overall NPD program.

Typical scheduling techniques include critical path

analysis and a Gantt chart to help the team visualize

the project schedule. Critical path analyses start with

mapping each and every individual task necessary to

complete the project on a work breakdown structure

(WBS). The longest pathway from start to finish

(resulting in the shortest time in which to complete the project) identifies the critical path activities.

If any of these tasks is delayed, the project milestones will also be delayed, leading to increased

time-to-market for the new product. Gantt charts show both critical and ancillary tasks on a

horizontal bar chart, often showing links between tasks with software enhancements (e.g. Microsoft

Project or Oracle Primavera). The Gantt chart offers a detailed visual assessment of the status of

each individual project as well as the overall NPD program.

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Other common tools for NPD programs include meeting and status reports. These allow the team

leader to ensure that the project stays on schedule and within budget while still delivering the

goals of the new product effort.

Some common metrics to validate an innovation program include the number of new products

launched in the past year or the number of new patents granted. Metrics must be closely aligned

with strategic objectives so that the result of an innovation program clearly reflect the goals and

objectives of the firm. NPD metrics vary from firm to firm and are directly tied to the innovation

strategy. However, metrics must always evaluate the desired behaviors for the organization.

An effective innovation framework starts with the innovation strategy, overarching all other

activities and serving as a checkpoint that the firm is moving forward as expected and as planned.

Sustaining processes to support the innovation strategy include portfolio management, structured

NPD processes, and life cycle management. Facilitating and supporting structures involve teams

and organization, market research, and NPD tools and metrics.

Teams and organizational structures are critical to the successful execution of a new product

development project. Team structures should be aligned with the complexity of the project, where

products with more technical and market development require higher degrees of coordination

among team members. The four most common types of team structures in NPD are the support

team, lightweight team, heavyweight team, and venture team.

Market research is an entire field of itself. Without proper market research, the product will fail.

Customer insights provide information on the overall competitive nature of the marketplace,

technology solutions, and product categories. NPD teams will interact with potential consumers

throughout the development effort, validating the new product idea and that the product works

to solve the customers’ problems as envisioned. These market research studies provide an

important feedback loop to the firm’s innovation strategy.

NPD tools and metrics vary across firms to address how well the company is meeting its strategic

goals and objectives. Many of the tools in product development involve the sustaining processes

within the NPD framework, such as portfolio management. Other tools are typical for the project

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management profession at large. Metrics tie the firm’s accomplishments in new product

development to the innovation strategy.

Without a comprehensive NPD framework, firms will fall behind their competitors. New product

development is successful when there is a unique innovation strategy implemented across the

organization. Strategy is facilitated by the NPD sustaining processes: portfolio management,

structured NPD processes, and life cycle management. Supporting innovation structures – teams

and organization, market research, and tools and metrics – are fundamental to long term

innovation success.

New product development practitioners following a structured NPD framework are able to produce

more successes than their competitors. The NPD framework starts with a deliberate and

overarching innovation strategy. Sustaining processes facilitate the implementation of the strategy

through portfolio management, structured NPD processes (phased-gate), and life cycle

management. Supporting systems, such as teams and organizational structure, market research,

and NPD tools and metrics, build a strong foundation for the NPD framework, leading to further

commercial successes.

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1. Product Development and Management Association's 2012 Comparative Performance

Assessment Study. Markham, Stephen K. and Lee, Hyunjung. 3, 2013, Journal of Product

Innovation Management, Vol. 30, pp. 408-429.

2. Trends and Drivers of Success in NPD Practices: Results of the 2003 PDMA Best Practices

Study. Barczak, Gloria, Griffin, Abbie and Kahn, Kenneth B. 2009, Journal of Product

Innovation Management, Vol. 26, pp. 3-23.

3. Cooper, Robert G. New Products - What Separates the Winners from the Losers and What

Drives Success. [ed.] Kenneth B. Kahn. The PDMA Handbook of New Product Development. 3rd

ed. Hoboken, NJ : John Wiley & Sons, 2013, pp. 3-34.

4. Jurgens-Kowal, Teresa. Product Development Innovation Teams: Organizing for Success in

Product Development. Dallas, TX : Get to the Point Books, 2012.

5. Wheelwright, Steven C and Clark, Kim B. Revolutionizing Product Development: Quantum

Leaps in Speed, Efficiency, and Quality. New York : The Free Press, 1992.

Image of maze courtesy of Boolean Marketing.

Image of man and building courtesy of CiteLighter.

Life cycle cartoon courtesy of Maven Technologies.

Image of team courtesy of Forbes.

Cartoon image courtesy of Marketing Fundamentals.

Image of tools courtesy of Wise and Wonderful.

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An outstanding author, Teresa is President of Global NP Solutions, LLC, a strategic

innovation provider. She is an accomplished visionary and results-oriented

professional with extensive industry experience from creative research to effective

portfolio management through stream-lined new product development processes.

As a lifelong learner, Teresa has shared a unique breadth of innovation knowledge

with dozens of individuals preparing for the New Product Development Professional

(NPDP) certification exam, yielding an impressive 100% pass rate.

Teresa has extensive experience leading successful teams, managing the product development life cycle, and

defining the portfolio strategy. Her deep expertise in intellectual property management, product and process

licensing, portfolio planning, customer service, and business process improvement make her an ideal teacher and

trusted advisor who knows both the theory and practices of New Product Development.

Dr. Jurgens-Kowal earned a B.S. degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Idaho in Moscow, Idaho,

a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Washington in Seattle, Washington, and an MBA from

West Texas A&M University. She is a licensed Professional Engineer in the State of Louisiana since 1998 and a

Project Management Professional (PMP®). Teresa is a certified New Product Development Professional (NPDP)

by the Product Development Management Association (PDMA) and Global NP Solutions, is a Registered Education

Provider (REP) with PDMA. She is an active member of the South Texas Section of the American Institute of

Chemical Engineers (AIChE). She is also the Book Review Editor for the PDMA.

Teresa holds chemical process and catalyst patents, and is published in the Journal of the American Chemical

Society, Journal of Physical Chemistry, and authored a popular series of blog posts at ChEnected.com called

“Talking to Your Bo$$.” She is the author of several e-books, “Budgeting: A Necessary Evil,” “Project

Management in a Nutshell,” and “Innovation Teams: Organizing for Success in New Product Development”

available from Get to the Point Books, a digital business book publisher or in print from Amazon.

Currently, Dr. Jurgens-Kowal teaches project management as adjunct faculty at CTU-Online and process

technology at San Jacinto College. She has an office in Houston, Texas, and enjoys bicycling, knitting, and

scrapbooking in her free time. You can reach Teresa at info@globalnpsolutions.com or at 281-280-8717.